No. 24 Minnesota runs past Stephen F. Austin 82-42

Williams had three dunks and a pair of 3s, finishing with 14
points in 17 minutes to help the 24th-ranked Gophers pull away
from Stephen F. Austin in an 82-42 victory on Monday night.

After coming off the bench as a power forward in the first half,
Williams replaced Paul Carter in the starting lineup after the
break so he could play the small forward spot where he's more
comfortable.

"He's a very gifted and graceful athlete," coach Tubby Smith
said. "He does add some quickness and more athleticism to our
team."

Lawrence Westbrook and Devoe Joseph led the Gophers (2-0) with
15 points apiece and Damian Johnson contributed 11 second-half
points, five assists, five steals and three blocks to lead the
romp after a rough start.

Minnesota, which went 11 for 19 from 3-point range, has won its
first two games by an average of 39 points after beating two
Division II teams in exhibitions by an average of 58 points
behind balanced scoring and active defense.

Eddie Williams scored 12 points for the Lumberjacks (0-1), who
had eight shots blocked by the lanky, long-armed Gophers.

Rodney Williams is one of those leapers, and his athleticism
already has the attention of the home crowd at the 81-year-old
arena that's coincidentally in his last name. The student
section started chanting his name shortly after Johnson tossed
Williams an alley-oop pass to cap a two-on-one fastbreak with a
ferocious dunk for the first points of the second half.

Westbrook followed with a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 12,
and Minnesota was off from there. The Gophers used a 27-3 run -
including 18-0 - bridging the intermission to run away with this
one.

"They're an athletic and fast in their own right, but I think
just our skill level wore 'em down," Westbrook said.

Smith doesn't allow players to be interviewed during their first
season until they've played in a Big Ten game, so Williams can't
speak publicly yet about his potential. His vertical, though,
speaks for itself.

"He's a great asset to our team," Joseph said, adding: "He
brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm."

After finishing 24-8 and appearing in the NCAA tournament for
the first time in the program's 86-year history, SFA lost the
heart of last season's team and suited up eight newcomers for
this opener.

The Lumberjacks, predicted to win the Southland Conference's
East Division by league coaches in a preseason poll, have gone
hard after junior college transfers under coach Danny Kaspar.
They have four players from McLennan Community College in Waco
alone, including 5-foot-3 starting point guard Eric Bell.

Kaspar emphasizes tight defense: During the 2007-08 regular
season, the Lumberjacks allowed an average of 55 points per game
to rank second among all Division I teams.

They had the Gophers off their game, holding a 16-15 lead when 7
minutes were left in the first half, but Westbrook, Williams and
Ralph Sampson got Minnesota going before the break after a flat
start due mostly to SFA's defense.

"This is a tough opponent for your first game when you're
bringing in a lot of new people," Kaspar said. "We've just got
to put it together again."

Kaspar turned 55 on Monday.

"It's not a very good birthday present," he said.

Eddie Williams said he wasn't sure how to assess the Lumberjacks
at this point.

"We're very talented," he said. "It's just a matter of everybody
buying into the system and all of us just jelling together."

The Gophers are still missing three players to indefinite
suspensions while the courts, the school and Smith sort out
various off-the-court issues. Junior forward Trevor Mbakwe again
sat on the bench in a shirt and tie, but freshman forward Royce
White has been told to stay away from the team until his legal
situation is cleared up. Senior guard Devron Bostick, punished
for an unspecified violation of Smith's rules, was not present
Monday because of he was sick.

Even if White and Mbakwe aren't allowed to play this season,
Williams might be enough to make this touted recruiting class
himself. His teammates have clearly enjoyed watching him jump
all over the gym so far.

"They see him every day," Smith said. "He does get them excited.
He gets me excited. He's getting better every day. He's
learning. He's growing. That helps. It helps that he's a very
fun young man to be around."